World's first 'Smart Glock' with facial recognition and fingerprint unlock to ... trends now
Americans can now pre-order a 'Smart Glock' that requires facial recognition and fingerprint technology to fire.
Start-up firearms manufacturer Biofire is selling the futuristic-looking 9mm handgun for $1,500 with orders due to ship in 2024.
The smart gun scans two forms of biometric ID, an optical fingerprint sensor and 3D infrared facial recognition, to ensure that only the gun's true owner can activate the firearm – cutting down on accidents and misused stolen weapons.
The Broomfield, Colorado-based company hopes its pistol will put a dent in America's cycle of gun violence.
More than 13,900 people have already been killed by guns in the U.S. in the first four months of 2023 alone, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
The Smart Gun will arrive with a smart dock, with which the new owner must input their biometric data: fingerprints and facial recognition. The system allows them and them alone to determine who can unlock the weapon
Total cost for the Smart Gun is currently $1499, although a $1899 Launch edition and a $2499 Founder's edition are also available
Biofire's marketing statements estimate that its smart smart gun could avert the roughly two thirds of gun deaths attributed to suicide in the US each year, an estimate that would have amounted to 22,000 lives saved in 2018.
But Biofire's estimate has been accused of being inflated.
An analysis by Engineering & Technology (E&T), the in-house publication for the not-for-profit Institution of Engineering and Technology in the UK, estimated that only about 6,109 annual gun deaths would likely be prevented.
E&T based its findings on US Center for Disease Control data and other research reports.
In either case, of course, that's only if the high-tech firearm makes it to market, on time, as planned.
'Our goal is not just to start collecting orders, but to get this into full
